Use Five Senses to Help Stage a Home for Sale

Homeowners are looking for any kind of help selling home that they can find in today’s soft sales market.  Properly staging a home for sale brought higher prices when the market was good; today, it’s an essential step with so many homes on the market.  There are several things a homeowner can do to make his house stand out as the best buy in the neighborhood.

One of the more creative ways a homeowner can stage his property so that he gets the best help selling home is to involve all of his prospective buyers’ senses.  A buyer will remember a home that engages his sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell.  While most homeowners focus on the major sense of sight when getting a home ready to sell, the other senses can’t be ignored.  But how can the senses of hearing, or smell, or even taste be used to help sell a home?

The obvious visual cues for prospective buyers must not be ignored when a homeowner is looking for help selling home.  Rooms should be neat rather than cluttered.  Paint should be fresh and carpet and floors should be freshly shampooed or cleaned.  A buyer needs to be able to picture herself and her family living in your home.  A clean, open home will help her envision that.  Likewise, the sense of smell is an important part of the home’s atmosphere.  The house should smell clean and fresh rather than damp and musty.  Many professionals recommend using air fresheners or candles when showing the home.  Even more importantly, pet and smoking odors need to be eliminated.  Potential buyers with allergies will turn around and walk out if these odors are present.

Senses not usually considered when staging a home for sale are those of hearing, touch and taste.  It’s important that a prospective buyer be allowed to browse and consider the possibility of buying the home without extraneous noise from televisions or other sources.  Even more importantly, if a dog lives on the premises and the buyer isn’t a pet aficionado, its barking can be a turn-off.  The sense of touch comes into play when a buyer looks at things like doorknobs, bathroom tiles or stair railings.  If they’re missing, damaged or shaky, a buyer will wonder what other maintenance items have been ignored.  Finally, taste may come into play during an open house showing.  Realtors are frequently offering finger foods and drinks as part of the ambiance of the event.  Engaging all the senses when showing a home can help it sell more quickly and at the best possible price.